In the U.S., we may associate Día de los Muertos — celebrated annually on Nov. 1 and 2 — as a Mexican version of Halloween. But the roots of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, go back thousands of years to rituals that honor the dead in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Throughout most of Mexico it can be a celebration replete with Catrina dolls, calaveras, and ofrendas—altars displaying photos, food, liquor, and artifacts that recall the passions of the late person’s life.

But according to Coronado resident Maggie Unzueta, creator of the popular Mamá Maggie’s Kitchen blog, the people of her family’s homeland in the state of Durango, Mexico, only observed Día de los Muertos as a religious holiday, which involved attending Mass and visiting the cemetery. Since the release of the Disney animated feature “Coco,” however, she said Durango—and her family—have adopted the celebratory traditions. For Unzueta honors it by making numerous Mexican dishes, including the traditional Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead) and Pan de Elote, or cornbread. In my newest story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s food section, Unzueta shares her history with the holiday as well as these bread recipes.